When the 88th edition of The Masters whirrs into (superficially) laid-back action in early April, we may be witnessing the old Georgia jousting field establishing a new and unwanted tradition.
The Augusta National members love a tradition. Over the years they have come up with a few that have stuck. The club’s Green Jacket, which must be worn by members when on site, is one. The giddy Wednesday Par-3 Contest is another. Not allowing anyone to run is slightly weird but they like it, while the ban on phones, electronic devices and, wait for it, backpacks or even handbags larger than an average-sized ladies’ purse is meekly accepted by a public desperate to see and be seen at the Augusta spring ritual.
However, this year anyway, topping all these contrivances – a couple of which I rather like – is the Tuesday night Champions Dinner that is hosted by the defending champion, who picks a birthplace menu because, guess what, that’s the tradition. Phil Mickelson rather touchingly sideswiped it in 2011, ordering Spanish food to honour Seve Ballesteros, but Seve was too ill to attend and died a few weeks later.
This time it’s another Spaniard who gets to place Jamon Iberico (my favourite) and other Iberian delicacies before a room full of alpha males in Green Jackets, and Jon Rahm must be a
